BRUSSELS, March 1 (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said a decision by the Russian parliament to authorise the use of Russian forces in neighbouring Ukraine was an unwarranted escalation of tensions.

"I therefore call upon the Russian Federation not to dispatch such troops but to promote its views through peaceful means," Ashton said in a written statement on Saturday.

Ashton added that she would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after Monday's extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the bloc's response to the situation in Ukraine. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Kevin Liffey)